Don’t be an angry bird on your birthday!

Today I have been involved in organising my soon to be 6 year olds birthday….. arranging presents, and figuring out what party he would like and lets not forget the cake. This will be my 24th birthday I have organised as a mother, so I feel old hat at it. I love the excitement my kids express in the weeks leading up to their birthday. Every day asking how many more sleeps. They know exactly what presents they want, they all want to have a party to share the day with their friends, playing and feeling happy. They enjoy flipping through the pages of the Women’s Weekly cookbook to choose their cake and to tick off what cakes they have already had. A birthday makes your child feel special.

So today as I was searching on the internet for bearded dragon breeders in my city, feeling the excitement in my own belly as I imagine the surprise on my childs face as he meets his new pet for the first time, I got to wondering about adults, and why we don’t get that excited about our birthday. Who or what takes the fun out of our own birthday? we grow up, and all of a sudden, we feel we are not worthy of a party. We can’t celebrate our birthday with our friends, we think that they wouldn’t be interested in our birthdays, deep down, we want to feel special and important, we still have that inner child wanting that intimate connection on our birthdays, but we play it down and don’t embrace it, and therefore on our birthday nobody shows up and BAM we feel a sudden jolt of extreme loneliness and all that our inner critic was telling us is validated………leaving us with a crap memory on our birthday. Our only day in the year which is ours all ours……
Why can’t we phone our friends near and far and encourage them to visit for our birthday? Why can’t we get excited and fill the day with expectations, so we can experience our special day just the way we like it?
Women especially feel that once they become a certain age, they no longer want to celebrate their birthdays because they are avoiding growing older, This is not self love! So as part of your self-love, and self acceptance. Embrace your birthday this year, and in the weeks leading up to, plan the party get together or dinner exactly how you would like to. Send out invites and choose the food. Revel in your special day. It only comes once a year, and who knows where you will be next year!! Here are some self-love ways to experience your birthday this year:
– Buy yourself a present and open it on your birthday, this way you know your going to be happy with what you get.
– Think about what you truly love doing, don’t think about others, just think about you. Design your birthday around that activity you enjoy.
– If you have to work on your birthday, then make sure you make it a fun day for yourself. Wear a birthday badge, so everyone knows, and you can receive people’s love and connection all day. Strangers will go out of their way to make you feel special.
– If you like cake, order yourself a killer cake, and buy enough candles to put on top of that cake. Be proud of your age! You will only be this young for one more year.
– This is a great day to reminisce over your life. Think about your first ever memory, a birthday you had as a kid, or what inventions you have seen revolutionise your world.

– Write a letter to your older self about what you are going through in your life at present, hold it away to read to yourself in 10 years time on your birthday.

– Create a painting, picture, scrapbook for yourself.

– Escape for some solitude to connect with nature and yourself on your birthday, so you can celebrate with yourself.

– Most importantly plan your birthday and customize it to make it yours, and a day that you know you will love and cherish for years to come.
The more emphasis you make on your birthday the more your loved ones will join in on the fun. Again this is a great example of the fact that everything starts with self-love, happiness on your birthday begins with self-love.

You may not have a bearded dragon on your wish list, or even an angry bird game for that matter, but you would still love to be soaked in joy and happiness, and you still dream about being special. So start planning and embracing your special day today. xxxxxxx